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17h ago

U.S. Embassy Warns of Imminent Baghdad Attacks and Tells Americans to Leave Iraq

An unusually specific 24–48 hour threat window leaves Americans reliant on overland exits.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on March 17.
A car drives past smoke billowing from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026.
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Overview

  • The embassy's alert, posted Thursday, said Iran‑aligned militias may strike central Baghdad within 24–48 hours and directed U.S. citizens to leave immediately.
  • Officials listed likely targets that include Americans, U.S.-linked sites, Iraqi institutions, and crowded places such as hotels, airports, universities, and energy facilities, and warned some militants may carry Iraqi government IDs as authorities have not stopped past attacks.
  • The U.S. Mission remains open under ordered departure, yet people were told not to go to the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate in Erbil because of risks from rockets, drones, and mortars.
  • With Iraqi airspace closed and no commercial flights, departures must go by road to Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey, and travelers should expect long delays at borders and changing conditions.
  • The warning followed the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad, with a suspect tied to Kataib Hezbollah detained as the U.S. coordinates with the FBI and offers up to $3 million for tips on attacks against U.S. diplomatic facilities.